SAG-AFTRA Merger: Exclusive Interview with SAG President, Ken Howard

There is a lot of debate going on in the entertainment industry about the possible merger of the two main actors' unions in Hollywood:  Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists.  The current status is up for vote and I recently turned in my ballot.  I have voted for a merger several times in the past because I felt like the strength of unions has weakened since the 1950's and 1960's.  When the other mergers did not pass, the unions started to compete for contracts ultimately hurting the people they represent:  actors.  Now, as a host, many of my broadcast contracts, including The Web Files, fall under a SAG New Media contract.  While I do have certain reservations about some of the merger points, I did vote "yes" because I do not see any other option in order to keep our union relevant, viable, and strong through the next decade.  Last night, I caught up with Ken Howard, current SAG president, on the red carpet at the 20th Anniversary Alzheimer's Association, "A Night at Sardi's" at the Beverly Hilton. Right away, I hit him with the merger question.  Here is his exclusive response to Red Carpet Report and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below on this hot topic:

New Media Film Festival

Today is the official opening of the 2nd Annual New Media Film Festival here in Los Angeles.  To open the festivities, I will be hosting the red carpet LIVE tonight at 6PM PT/9PM ET on Mingle Media TV.  You can watch all of the festivities online here.  The lineup for tonight's red carpet includes famous faces like Erin Gray (Do you think she will mind if I sing the Silver Spoons theme song to her?) and perennial Academy Awards red carpet favorite, Sally Kirkland. (Click on her name, you will see what I am talking about.) I hope you join us for all of the fun and festivities tonight or, if you are in LA, head over to the festival's screenings this weekend.

Also, a big thank you to SAG New Media for the nice article summing up the panel I hosted at Digital Hollywood earlier in the month. You can check out the article here.

After a busy week, I am spending my weekend huddled at home.  What are you up to this weekend?  

Santa Catalina Film Festival

This is the week of last minute surprises.  Earlier in the week, I was asked to moderate a panel at the Digital Hollywood Content Summit sponsored by SAG New Media on "Commerce and Communication".  I had literally just stepped off of the plane from two weeks in NY, when I got the call.  Even though I was ready for a day off, I couldn't say "no" when SAG New Media called because the panel was on a strong topic and filled with people I know and respect.  While the panel was going on, I received a text asking if I could fill in and sit on a panel about  "Social Media Behaving Badly:  Campaigns That Miss The Mark" at the Santa Catalina Film Festival on Sunday.

The Digital Hollywood Content Summit Panel sponsored by SAG New Media.  

I haven't been to Catalina in about a decade, but it is a small scenic island off of the coast of Southern California.  You get to take a ferry in and most of the island is filled with golf carts versus cars.  It's charming and lovely, so I cannot wait to enjoy the day in Catalina and share the photos with you on Monday.  If you happen to be in the Southern California area and are looking for a great excursion for the weekend, check out the Santa Catalina Film Festival and the panel information here.

Thank you to Canyon Prince and Hayden Black for making my panel appearance at the film festival possible.  I appreciate it.

Pre-panel pose at Digital Hollywood with ElfQuest producers, Paula Rhodes and Stephanie Thorpe.

Now, share your big plans for the weekend!

Photo 2:  Courtesy of SAG New Media
Photo 3:  Courtesy of Stephanie Thorpe

Digital Hollywood Content Summit

Well, that was fast.  I was going to take a few days off after my 22 non-stop days of work, but I got a call (okay, a Tweet) from SAG New Media inviting me to moderate a panel for Digital Hollywood Content Summit today.  The talented panel includes producers, actors, and creators from the New Media space who are going to share their experiences on "Actors, Social Media, and Celebrity:  Communications and Commerce".  I know all four of the panelists on a personal and professional level and this will definitely be a good opportunity to learn from the movers and shakers in the industry.  All of the information for the Digital Hollywood Content Summit panel is here.

Hope to see you there!

On the panel, Paula Rhodes and Stephanie Thorpe. You may remember Paula (photo above) and Stephanie (photo below) from my Live streaming coverage of ElfQuest.  If you missed it, you can find the photos, panel, trailer, articles, and red carpet coverage here and here.

Wrapping up An Elf-filled Week

Ah, my post comes a bit late as I have a bit of an event week hangover.  Not a real hangover from delicious cocktails, but from a week filled with excitement and dreams. I don't know where to begin, so I will just bullet point all of the fun things that happened.

1.  I started the week with my official investment in the Broadway revival of Godspell coming in the 2011-2012 season.  You can read all about it here.

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Sayaan.  Me and Roni B.

2.  LA Premiere Shorts:  It was a blast supporting my pal, Roni B, in her film debut!  Her store was used as a part of the film, Brownie Points, so it was the perfect backdrop for the cute romantic comedy.

Photo courtesy of Robert Welkner, Coin-Op.TV.  Me with Richard and Wendy Pini

3.  ElfQuest:  I was thrilled to be asked by SAG New Media to host the live stream for the red carpet for the premiere of the ElfQuest fan trailer.  It was exciting to meet the creators of the original ElfQuest series,  Richard and Wendy Pini, but what made it even better was watching my friends, Stephanie Thorpe and Paula Rhodes, turn their dreams into reality.  There has been an incredible amount of press surrounding the fan trailer, so here are a few links to take a look at if you are an ElfQuest fan:

The Fan Trailer

Live Stream Red Carpet/Q&A

SAG New Media article

Mingle Media TV-photos

Robert Welkner/Coin-Op.tv-photos

Eddie Carrington AKA Brigwyn article

Interview with Stephanie Thorpe and Paula Rhodes:


4.  I love it when something I cover resonates with fans, so I was pleased to see that my interview with Chandler Massey at the GBK gifting suite was a hit with Days of Our Lives fans on AfterElton.com.  Check out the article here.

5.  Finally, many thanks to my friend, Leah Cevoli, for including me in her series, On the Road with Leah Cevoli. I make a little cameo at about 2:53 and yes, this cameo was done on the fly which means no hair and makeup!  You will see it does take a village to put me together.

Phew.  I think that is it for this weekend.  I have a crazy few weeks coming up with NAB, Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix, and our last Toyota Live run for the season.  I promise it won't be boring.  Have a great weekend and I will see you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet!

Elfquest: A Fan Imagining

Photo courtesy of RadNerd.

If you've never heard of Elfquest, you will soon.  Whether it is tonight's world premiere of Paula Rhodes and Stephanie Thorpe's 5-minute trailer or the possible Warner Brother's production brought to the big screen, this won't be the last time you hear about Wendy and Richard Pini's cult comic book classic.  Tonight, I have the opportunity to host the live stream of the red carpet and then moderate the Q&A after the premiere.  Please join me for all the excitement over at SAG New Media's Stickam page at 6:45PM PST.

Live Stream Link on Stickam.

About Elfquest.

About the Elfquest Fan Trailer.

Here's a sneak peak of tonight's premiere: